Drabble Bank
by Academician
Summary: A short collection of drabbles written by me... I'll add to it as time goes by. I hope you'll enjoy reading them as much as I've enjoyed writing them. Warning! Contains plot elements from most books! TP spoilers if they are still spoilers... new drabbles
1. Temperature

Disclaimer: I do not own Artemis Fowl or any other characters created by Eoin Colfer

--

Heat. She was warm, so warm. Not just temperature, not just nature, something deeper. Everything around her was warmed by her presence. This heat, this energy, this fire defined her.

Cold, icy, frigid. Glacial had been the term chosen by many. He was her opposite, he could chill the air with a single glance and his smile sent slivers of ice down the backs of hardened killers.

When they met the conflict was tangible, albeit a relief as a brief absence of either extreme was welcome.

Fire and ice. Hot, cold. Warm, frigid. They say opposites attract for a reason...


	2. Lifetime

Three Years.  
Thirty-six months.  
One hundred and fifty-six weeks.  
One thousand and ninety five days.  
Twenty-six thousand, two hundred and eighty hours.  
One million, five hundred and seventy six thousand, eight hundred minutes.

75 heartbeats per minute. 4,500 beats an hour. 108,000 beats a day. 39,420,000 beats a year. 118,260,000 beats lost in three years.

How many tears? How many laughs? How much life had he lost? Stolen.

"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years," Abraham Lincoln.


	3. A Due

A due: a duet; two instruments playing in unison.

It started, as these often do, with an introduction. A slow, steady build up. The tempo; a fine balance between the urgency to reach the climax and reluctance to skip even one beat.

The introduction led seamlessly into an allegro. The energy of the music rent the air, the musicians immersed in the passion of the piece.

The crescendo. A beautiful, passionate even intoxicating climax that left the performers breathless but willing to play on.

Each player knew their parts and they played them well.

And together they made beautiful music.


	4. Agnostic

_'You didn't kill my friends,' replied Artemis, though he was talking to himself. 'That never happened.' Artemis glanced down nervously. Holly was no longer there. **Thank God**._

Artemis had always considered himself an atheist. A pragmatist. One for whom pure fact took precedence over the illusion of faith. His firm conviction was that 'destiny' and 'fate' were merely a comfort blanket for those who were inadequately prepared. His creed was that his own life, his actions were his own and no other's, regardless of how divine those others were believed to be.

But for the briefest of moments he paused and wondered.

--

The quote is from Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony, Paperback edition pg 341


	5. Nursery

**A/N: It's been done to death and I apologise... I couldn't help myself...**

* * *

The nursery teacher considered quitting after Artemis had pointed out that he did not wonder what a 'little star' was and promptly explained that the twinkle effect was caused by light bending around nitrogen molecules in the air...

She felt she'd had enough when Artemis pointed out it was fatuous to bestow the name 'Humpty-Dumpty' on the product of avian ovulation...

Her nerves began to fray when Artemis built a scale model of the Taj Mahal in Plasticine when asked to make a house...

The reproduction of The Virgin of the Rocks during art class was the final straw...


	6. Night Watch

**A/N: Artemis can't help thinking about Holly...**

* * *

'More yellow ochre…' Artemis thought as he dipped the fine brush back into the water cup to clean it.

The reproduction of the Rembrandt was proceeding nicely and painting came so naturally to the ambidextrous teenage genius that he could divert most of his concentration to a physics paper he'd planned, involving the use of time-tunnel equations to mathematically prove the multi-worlds theory.

He completed the last brushstroke in time for the last variable to fall into place.

'Damn,' Artemis thought, 'another one wasted'. He removed the canvas from the easel, the Night Watch were not armed with Neutrinos...


	7. To the Virgins

**A/N: I don't own Artemis Fowl or any other characters created by Eoin Colfer. I also do not own 'To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time', which belongs to the 17th century poet Robert Herrick.**

Artemis!" Angeline's voice echoed throughout the manor.

"One moment Mother," He was currently investing in Chinese stock markets online; the coal and iron industries were rising..

He had nineteen transactions left when his email program popped up; 'You have 1 unread email'.

Irritated, he clicked the 'read' button.

'Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May.'

Artemis blinked. Then he saw the sender's name. Angeline Fowl.

"_Gather ye rosebuds while ye may_," Artemis murmured.

_"Old Time is still a-flying,_

_And this same flower that smiles today,_

_To-morrow will be dying_."

He looked out of his study window at the sunshine. And smiled.


	8. Art Appreciation

**A/N: Since I'm so fond of these... this follows on from the theme of The Night Watch... A/H (implied)**

* * *

"Damn it!" The alien sound echoed through the manor.

Butler looked up from the cucumber he'd been slicing, recognising the voice and the tone. The manservant left the cucumber and began to prepare a cup of Earl Grey, knowing what would happen next.

Artemis entered the kitchen, his stance tense and his features set.

Setting the cup on the table, Butler sighed, before beginning.

"Another canvas?"

"Yes," Artemis replied tersely, sitting beside the cup.

"Same as before?" Butler enquired, joining his young charge.

"Same as before," Artemis confirmed.

"Would people notice?"

"Butler, da Vinci's Madonna does not have pointy ears!"

* * *

**A/N: More to follow.**


	9. A Pattern Emerges

**A/N: Follow on fic...**

* * *

Artemis Senior stepped into the study, his son was at the easel too engrossed in his painting to notice his father's entry. A myriad of completed masterpieces were scattered haphazardly around the room, he picked one up and examined it. A beautiful woman, tastefully dressed. Artemis didn't recognise the painting but somehow it seemed… flawed.

As he replaced the canvas, Artemis studied the other paintings.

"So, what is her name?" Artemis Senior asked.

"_La Bella Simonetta_," his son answered, completing the nose on his current work.

"I wasn't talking about the subject; I meant the girl you're seeing."

Artemis Junior turned to his father.

"Since you were four, you have painted every masterpiece by every Renaissance master. In the past two months, you have painted more female portraits than are hanging in the Louvre. No offence, son, but it doesn't take a genius."

* * *

**A/N: More to follow.**


	10. An eye for Art

**A/N: Stay Tuned For More...**

* * *

Beckett clung to Juliet as he rode 'piggyback' on her shoulders. Beckett loved piggyback rides and Juliet didn't mind, she bench pressed twice her own weight; Beckett was light.

Ducking down, so that Beckett's head wouldn't hit the doorframe, Juliet entered the Library. Stepping past the canvasses littering the floor, she peeked over Artemis's shoulder at his current masterpiece. She studied it for a few seconds, much to Artemis's ire, before vocalising her disapproval with a 'tut'.

Artemis cocked an eyebrow. "Tut?"

"Do yourself a favour," Juliet said, heading back out of the library, "just call her."

"What?" Artemis called after her.

"_Cecilia Gallerani_ does not have a blue eye!" Juliet called from the corridor.

* * *

**A/N: Yes... Even More To Follow...**


	11. Lapsus Calami

**A/N: I hit 30 (reviews)!**

* * *

Angeline was playing chess with her son in the Library. She knew, of course, that it was folly to think she could win but she had found out long ago that it was easier to coax information from him while he was thinking eight moves ahead.

"You painted _Genevra de Benci_ recently, did you not?"

"Yes," Artemis Junior replied, removing her bishop with a knight.

"Did you know that was one of my favourites?"

"No, I didn't," Artemis said, defending his rook.

"Oh," Angeline said, feigning ignorance, "who was the artist again? I can never remember."

"Leonardo Da Vinci."

"Then, dear, why is it signed H.S.?" Angeline replied, taking the white queen.

Checkmate.

* * *

**A/N: You keep reading... I'll keep writing, deal?**


	12. Myles

**A/N: Part 1 of 2**

* * *

Artemis had been behaving oddly.

Myles wished he'd paid more attention during Artemis's behavioural psychology lesson.

Mind you, everyone had been acting a bit weird although Myles was fairly sure that was a result of Artemis's behaviour.

But Myles wanted to know why. Everything happens for a reason, Artemis had taught him.

He didn't mind Artemis acting the way he was but not knowing why was consuming him with curiosity.

The question was simple, why was Artemis behaving oddly. Though to ask would show ignorance, something which should be avoided.

"Have you seen my paint set?" Beckett said, knocking him out of his reverie.

Ah ha.

* * *

**A/N: Part 2 coming up...**


	13. Beckett

**A/N: Part 2 of 2**

* * *

It was an innocent enough question.

Myles had asked him to ask Mother why Artemis had been acting oddly and in return Myles would help him look for his paint set.

Then why, standing before Mother, the question on his lips, did he feel coerced into asking?

"Something the matter, sweetheart?" Angeline asked, lightly. The deer-in-the-headlights look Beckett was giving her made her mildly suspicious.

Working up the courage, Beckett took a deep breath.

"Artemis-has-been-acting-oddly-and-I-wanted-to-know-why."

"Oh that. He's smitten."

"Oh," Beckett said, feigning comprehension.

Which led Beckett to explain to his brother a few moments later the reason for Artemis's dazed behaviour.

"Mother says he's lost a kitten."

* * *

**A/N: I've got a few more around here somewhere...**


	14. Give and Take

**A/N: A non-art piece (and a few more to follow)...**

* * *

**Give and Take**

I know your motive. I know you have the means. But your opportunity, I haven't given you that yet.

You've stolen better protected items, items much more valuable.

Gold, Platinum, Diamonds. Entire fortunes. You've even taken paintings from the Louvre. Will you ever stop?

Or is the challenge more important to you; success its own reward?

Am I just another artefact to be collected?

My heart isn't under lock and key but you'll need to show me yours before I let you see mine.

* * *

**A/N: ;)**


	15. High Stakes

**A/N: 40 reviews! Thank you!**

**Now... is this a Poker game... or something _else_?**

* * *

**High Stakes**

I've been doing exceptional things since I was four. My business _is_ breaking rules.

I feign indifference. It's called a poker face.

It may look like I'm holding all the cards but I'm not. The key is to make you believe that I am.

You've put your heart on the table and still I act like I don't care.

I'll see you and raise.

Your inexperience hampers you. You should know this: it's all in the stare.

Who can read my own eye better than myself? Is the same true for you?

I've been winning my entire life.

But this hand goes to you.

* * *

**A/N: Keep an _eye_ out for more...**


	16. Perspective

**A/N: Oh, Colfer... of everything to choose from... I must ask you this: Why an _eye_?**

**

* * *

**

**Perspective**

The Demons know best… they say that nothing happens in the Time Stream without reason.

_'The random occurrences that cause incorrect molecular reconstruction have their purpose._

_These time anomalies are influenced by those in the Stream.'_

I think that means they reflect our wants, our desires, both conscious and subconscious.

So after our recent temporal jaunt, I've done some thinking.

I can't speak for you or the others but well...

Maybe, just maybe, I wanted to see the world from your perspective.

* * *

**A/N: Part 1 of 2...**


	17. Point of View

**A/N: Or to look at it in a different light…**

**

* * *

**

**Point of view**

Enough existential musing, my dear officer, the solution is quite simple.

When one takes into account all the available facts and _perspectives,_ as you called them, it is quite easy to deduce the reasons why.

Of course, it may not occur to you; your capacity for deductive logic, or lack thereof, never ceases to surprise me.

Although, I will humour you, for I loathe seeing you struggle.

So here is a thought that might not have occurred to you:

Maybe I just wanted to _see_ more of you?

* * *

**A/N: Part 2 of 2...**


	18. Post

**A/N: Just another morning… in Fowl Manor.**

**

* * *

**

**Post**

"That is it!" The now familiar cry came from the direction of the Manor's front entrance.

Lifting her cup of Earl Grey, she turned to see Artemis senior enter the family kitchen.

"That's the third time this week!" Artemis said, brandishing the letters. He walked with a slight limp as his bio-hybrid leg was always a little stiff this early in the morning.

"It's probably just a mistake, dear," Angeline said.

"Angeline we are the only house for half a mile. I've lived here for god-knows-how-many-years and I've never heard of these 'neighbours'; Mister Schlippe, Mister Squire, one of them is even supposed to have a knighthood, someone called Brum."

Artemis junior exchanged a worried glance with his bodyguard before reaching for the tea pot.

* * *

**A/N: More to follow...**


	19. Realisation

**A/N: The things we miss the most are the things we leave behind...**

* * *

**Realisation**

It had become a mausoleum.

A place where time had lost meaning.

The bed, crisply made, awaited his return.

The dresser still held his washed and ironed shirts, untouched.

The desk, the papers, the books, all so unchanged, he feared disturbing them.

Even the view from the window was the same.

This one room suspended in time.

He felt it coming but did nothing to prevent it.

He staggered back with the force of it.

Three years.

* * *

**A/N: Apologies, uni and work consumes alot of my free time... will try to get more posted soon :-)**


	20. Burn, baby, burn

**A/N: An Opal. I felt like a change...**

**Many, many thanks to my reviewers! It's good to know people enjoy reading these fics, I'll try to keep them coming!**

* * *

**Burn, baby, burn**

Do not mistake me for someone with an understanding of pity.

I will not show such weakness.

Yes, I will watch you burn.

I will enjoy the thrill, the chase, the kill.

I will take you down in the end and when I do, I want you to suffer.

If you scream, I will smile.

If you cry, I will laugh.

If you plead, I will only extend your suffering, not your life.

Next time you feel the heat, keep an eye out for me.

I will be the one holding the matches.

* * *

**A/N: Also, you can check my profile for a little backstory on each of these drabbles (and maybe a sneak preview of the next ones...)**


	21. Chase

**A/N: Sorry I haven't been active in a while but I haven't had the... urge? recently... oh that and the surprising number of people who favourite this...  
**

* * *

**Chase**

Would you stop?

Would you stop, if I asked you to stop?

If I begged or pleaded, would you let me go?

Would you take my life, or merely my freedom? You chase me with such passion; I wonder why.

Does some out-dated sense of justice drive your fervour or is it something more?

Do you seek to bring me to justice or simply to bring me to you?

Can you bear it that, I, a criminal, saved your life on more than one occasion?

Does it smart?  
Does it sear?  
Does it burn?

Rest assured, my dear officer, one day I will let you catch me.

* * *

**A/N: Now I wrote this as romanticised A/H but after completion I realised that it could, quite possibly, represent another pairing... Points for guessing who.**


	22. End of the Chase

**A/N: My thanks to all those who guessed; the alternate pairings to Chase were Holly/Opal, Holly/Mulch and Root/Mulch... to be honest I don't know which scares me the most... but this one is definitly A/H!  
**

* * *

**The End of the Chase**

No.

You're wrong.

I'm not chasing you; you're holding on to me while you try to run from your past.

Yes, you got your family back but at what cost?

A kidnapping and a rescue attempt. Some claim the price was higher: your soul. I don't dispute that.

At first, I stayed with you. I was your constant reminder that you have a conscience: that your actions have consequences and that, indeed, you should feel guilt.

Now, however, my presence is unnecessary.

I'm not saying you are reformed, but this time, all you need do is look in a mirror.

* * *

**A/N: More to follow ;)  
**


	23. Mirror

**A/N: "What we see now is like a dim image in a mirror."**

* * *

**Mirror**

Look in a mirror?

How can I?

When I see someone I don't recognise staring back at me.

Someone changed, someone different: a stranger.

No more a reflection of myself than a shadow in moonlight.

I see the way I used to be.

I see my cold, blue eye staring back at me, accusingly, tauntingly. The gleam of satisfaction at another's loss and my gain.

I see the way I am now.

I see your eye, warm and hazel, I see forgiveness in that eye but I can't bear it. I still haven't forgiven myself.

The contrast is unbearable.

* * *

**A/N: More to follow ;)  
**


	24. Reflection

**A/N: Mirror Pt. 2**

* * *

**Reflection**

Shall I tell you what I see?

I see a reflection that doesn't lie.

I see you. All that lies behind you and all that lies before you.

The mistakes you've made. The pain you've caused.

I see the good you've done. The lives you've saved. Mine included.

I see the strength to make those decisions.

To make the right choice when the alternative is easier.

To right the wrongs you've made and claim responsibility.

If you can't see that then maybe you do need a mirror.

Maybe, just maybe, I could be that mirror.

Your mirror.

* * *

**A/N: What do you see?  
**  
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." Ralph Waldo Emmerson


	25. Last Chance

**A/N: Love sometimes gets a second chance, maybe even a third but eventually you'll run out of chances...  
**

* * *

**Last Chance**

She held it out.

It was written in gold.

So much for the theory of her having no sense of humour.

Embossed in some new material; soft as silk but stiff as her stance.

His name was on it too, though he wasn't there. He didn't have the nerve to face me in person.

Still, she held it out.

Would she wait there forever if I didn t move to take it?

Is she giving me time to take it in?

Is this my last chance?

I looked at the card in her hand.

It still read Wedding Invitation...

* * *

**A/N: I wrote this with the concept of Holly handing Artemis a wedding invitation but after giving it some thought it could also be Holly handing Minerva a wedding invitation...**


	26. My Move

**A/N: Another Opal... she made me do it!**

* * *

**My Move**

You still don't get it do you?

This is a game.

A very, very dangerous game, at least, for you.

I'm prepared to languish in this cell, for now.

Rest assured; I have not stopped playing.

I won't stop till I've won and you're running out of moves.

You can't dodge bullets forever.

Cugeon, the Triad, the Scants.

Mere pawns, nothing more. My key piece is still in play.

I'll match you move for move, feint for feint.

We are reaching the endgame.

Can you feel it?

So I say to you; play on.

Because the next move is mine.

* * *

**A/N: The games have only just begun...  
**


	27. Jade Artist

**A/N: Yes, another painting drabble!**

* * *

**Jade Artist**

Artemis entered his study and stared at the sheet-covered canvas.

This time he was not going to make a mistake.

He readied the oils and pulled the sheet off the canvas frame.

His eyes widened as he realised someone had beaten him to it.

A collage of fragments from his previous attempts had been combined into what was, unmistakeably, a humanoid figure, portrait-style.

The pointed ears of his _Madonna_, the eye of _Cecilia Gallerani, _and a dozen other fragments, formed a Frankenstein image of Holly.

The perpetrator had left a post-it note in place of the usual artist's signature.

'Call her, or I will. Yours, Jade Princess.'

* * *

**A/N: Juliet strikes again but this time has she gone too far?  
**


	28. Worlds Apart

**A/N: Go on, read them all ;)**

* * *

**Worlds Apart**

I stand upon the precipice.

The void.

The gulf between us; culture, race, two civilisations. Two different worlds.

A distance neither of us could hope to cross. Alone.

You stand there on the distant shore; a beacon in the darkness.

I could leave. It would be difficult, of that I have no illusions, but so could you and you're still standing there.

So we stand, waiting, but I can't stand here forever.

A thought crosses my mind and a glance confirms you are thinking the same thing; the question on both our lips.

Should I leap would you catch me?

* * *

**A/N: What's your favorite?**


	29. Cold Hands Black Magic

**A/N: Musically inspired ;)**

* * *

**Cold hands (Black Magic)**

It was a bit of an oversight, not to expect it.

All things considered I should've known.

_Those icy fingers up and down my spine._

Cold hands. I should've been able to see that coming a mile away.

But he's like that, you know, disarming.

_That same old witchcraft when your eyes meet mine._

Warm heart. Well, that's what they say anyway.

But the touch lingers on my skin.

_The same old tingle that I feel inside._

He speaks my name, his hot breath on my neck.

He may feel like ice but there's fire inside.

His lips meet mine.

* * *

**A/N: Someone asked what's my favorite and that's hard to answer, I'm proud of all of them and for different reasons, the ones that I keep going back to and reading again though are; Agnostic, High Stakes, Post and Burn, baby, burn, I think they represent a fair cross-section of my style. The painting series, I thought initally spiraled out of control, they kind of wrote themselves so although there isn't any more planned, it is one of Arty's hobbies so I'm sure it'll crop up again.**


	30. Scale of the Problem

**A/N: Another Painting Drabble!  
**

* * *

**Scale of the Problem  
**

"Simple really. I should've thought of it earlier," Artemis, said revealing his newest piece.

Butler studied the canvas, looking for any Holly-inspired alterations as Artemis continued.

"I just needed to get it out of my system, so I painted Holly," Artemis announced, revealing a portrait of Holly.

Butler was no art critic but he knew a good representation when he saw one but as instructed, he studied the new canvas for similarities to the Holly portrait.

A few tension-filled moments later Butler's eyebrow arched suspiciously.

"What? What is it?"

"How tall is Madonna of the Rocks?"

"Oh no," Artemis sighed.

* * *

**A/N: Hehe, I might've run out of 'Holly-inspired alterations'... what should I do now...  
**


	31. What's in a name?

**A/N: Some food for thought...  
**

* * *

**What's in a name?**

Holly gently rolled over and kissed her lover.

He stirred quietly, moving slowly.

Opening his eyes he uttered a pleasant 'Good morning' that sent shivers up her spine.

She reached over and embraced him, her thoughts lingering on the night before.

'I meant to ask you,' he spoke softly in her ear, 'are you completely satisfied Mrs Fowl?'

'Oh.'

'Oh?'

'There's something I've been meaning to tell you.'

'You know you can tell me anything.'

'Well, Mister Short…'

"Ah!" Artemis sat bolt upright in the bed.

"What? What is it?" Butler questioned from the door.

"Nothing, just a nightmare."

* * *

**A/N: The Fowl name seems so important to Artemis I wondered how he would react to loosing it under the (presumed) fairy tradition of the male taking the female's surname in their unions...  
**


End file.
